When Shakela was a child her mother abandoned her. The message was clear. Her mother did not care for her and did not want her around.

Later on her mother returned and told her daughter, “You are never going to amount to nothing.”

Those wounds stayed with Shakela all through her young life. They drove her to drugs to ease the pain. They gave her a poor self image that opened her to a series of bad relationships. She had no place of her own, staying with whoever she could along the way.

On top of that, her sons aged 10 and 7, were growing up with a mother who did not know how to care for them. She did not even know she was supposed to.

The wound would have passed from one generation to another if not for a complete turnaround that happened in the TLC New Hope Substance Abuse Recovery Program.

That is where Shakela learned about herself, about life, and about God. She saw that she did not have to remain a victim of another person’s cruelty. She could forgive and believe the truth that God loves her.

Jesus has shown her that she is worth loving. The cross of Christ is proof enough.

This has given her the motivation and power to get to know her own children. Today, they enjoy doing fun things together that Shakela previously never imagined.

Shakela said, “I’m thankful for the staff and volunteers who come in to mentor me. I am thankful for a roof over my head. I am thankful for the donors who provide everything we need.”

The wound is healing, and you, dear donor, are part of God’s healing ways. Thank you!